Health insurance for small business owners with 1 to 20 people
You want to cover yourself, maybe your spouse, maybe a few key people, without a group plan that strains the business. I look at who needs coverage, run every route, and tell you honestly which one fits.
Free. Never a fee. 7 days a week, 8 a.m.–10 p.m. ET.
A group plan is not the only door
Most owners assume employees mean a small-group plan. Sometimes they do. But for many businesses under 20 people, individual plans chosen per person cost less and fit better than one plan for everyone.
A lower-paid employee may qualify for a Marketplace credit that makes their own plan far cheaper than a group plan would cost you both. A healthy owner may do better on a private underwritten plan, priced on health as well as age and ZIP code, though a carrier can decline you or exclude a condition and it is not ACA coverage. A group plan gives everyone the same plan at the same price, whether it suits them or not.
One thing to know up front: if the business offers a group plan that counts as affordable under the federal rules, the people offered it generally cannot also take a Marketplace credit. That is why I look at the whole team before recommending either route.
That is not a reason to skip a group plan. It is a reason to see both before you sign.
Which one sounds like you?
Owner only
You just need to cover yourself
Your staff have coverage elsewhere, or you are not offering it yet. You need a plan for you and your family that stands on its own.
Husband and wife
The two of you run it together
Your household income decides what the Marketplace will do for you. I run your numbers as a couple, not as a company.
Owner plus key people
A few people you want to take care of
Three to twenty people with a mix of ages and incomes. This is where individual plans often surprise owners, and where a group plan sometimes still wins.
What I look at before I recommend anything
- Who actually needs coverage. Some of your people are on a spouse’s plan, on Medicare, or covered as a dependent.
- Your budget. A fixed amount per person, a share of a plan, or only your own coverage for now.
- Who has doctors to keep. Networks differ, and one person’s specialist can decide the whole plan.
- Income, per household. That decides Marketplace credits, and most owners have never had it explained.
- Health, honestly. A healthy owner may fit a private plan. Anyone with real medical history belongs on the Marketplace, and I will say so up front.
The 400% line matters more in 2026. The enhanced premium tax credits from the pandemic years expired December 31, 2025, and Congress did not extend them. For 2026 coverage the credit stops at $62,600 for one person, $84,600 for two, and $128,600 for a family of four. Above that, a Marketplace plan is full price. Eligibility uses modified adjusted gross income, which for the self-employed is net profit after expenses, not gross receipts.
Source: KFF on the expired enhanced credits; 2025 HHS poverty guidelines, which set 2026 eligibility. Alaska and Hawaii differ.
Some owners also ask about health reimbursement arrangements (an ICHRA or a QSEHRA), where the business reimburses employees for individual plans instead of buying a group plan. They have their own rules, including how they affect an employee’s Marketplace credit, and they are a tax question as much as an insurance one. Ask your tax professional whether either fits, and I will coordinate the coverage side.
Marketplace, private, or group
I place Marketplace and private plans, and I will tell you plainly if a group plan is the better answer for your business.
When the Marketplace wins
Anyone with real medical history, a current prescription, or a condition being watched. The Marketplace cannot turn you down or charge more for health. Anyone under the 400% line whose credit makes their own plan cheaper than a share of a group plan.
When a private plan wins
A healthy owner or key person above the income line who would pay full price on the Marketplace. Private underwritten plans take applications year-round and price on health, so a clean history can mean a lower premium. But a carrier can decline, rate up, or exclude a condition. These plans are not guaranteed issue and are not ACA coverage.
When a group plan wins. Group plans have their own rules on who must participate, what you contribute, and when people can join. They can be the right answer when several people have medical history or when hiring depends on offering benefits. If that is your business, I will say so.
How working with me goes
A real conversation. Who is on your team, who needs coverage, and what the business can spend. No forms first.
I run the numbers both ways. Marketplace pricing for each household with any credit they qualify for, and a private quote for anyone healthy enough to benefit.
You decide, I enroll everyone, and I stay your contact. One person to call when a bill looks wrong, a new hire starts, or someone leaves.
Small business FAQ
Can I cover myself and not my employees?
Yes. An individual plan for you or your family is yours, not the business’s, and it does not require you to offer anything to staff.
Can I deduct what I pay for my own health insurance?
The self-employed health insurance deduction exists on IRS Schedule 1. Whether it applies to you depends on how your business is set up, so ask your tax professional.
When can we enroll?
Open enrollment for 2027 Marketplace coverage runs November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027; enroll by December 15 for a January 1 start (CMS). Losing other coverage, marriage, a move, or a new baby opens a special enrollment period.
What if one of my people has a health condition?
On the Marketplace, health does not affect price or acceptance, so that person goes through the Marketplace door. The rest of the team can go wherever fits them.
In Florida? See 2026 prices for every Florida county on Browse Health Plans.
Let’s look at your business
One call and we can see whether a group plan or individual plans fit your people.
I am licensed in 17 states. If your business is somewhere else, Browse Health Plans, the free price tool I built, shows your county's prices and a licensed advisor follows up.